blanch

(blănch) also blench (blĕnch)

v., blanched, also blenched, blanch·ing, blench·ing, blanch·es, blench·es.

v.tr.

1. To take the color from; bleach.
2. To whiten (a growing plant or plant part) by covering to cut off direct light.
3. To whiten (a metal) by soaking in acid or by coating with tin.
4. 1. To scald (almonds, for example) in order to loosen the skin.
   2. To scald (food) briefly, as before freezing or as a preliminary stage in preparing a dish.
5. To cause to turn white or become pale.

v.intr.
To turn white or become pale: Their faces blanched in terror.

[Middle English blaunchen, to make white, from Old French blanchir, from blanche, feminine of blanc, white, of Germanic origin.]

blancher blanch'er n.

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1. To plunge food (usually vegetables and fruits) into boiling water briefly, then into cold water to stop the cooking process. Blanching is used to firm the flesh, to loosen skins (as with peaches and tomatoes) and to heighten and set color and flavor (as with vegetables before freezing). See also parboil. 2. A horticultural technique whereby the leaves of plants are whitened or prevented from becoming green by growing them in complete darkness. It's this labor-intensive process that makes Belgian endive so expensive.

also blench

verb

To lose normal coloration; turn pale: bleach, etiolate, pale, wan. See colors/colorless.

v

Definition: become afraid
Antonyms: be brave

IN BRIEF: To become pale. To cook quickly to remove skins.

He needed to blanch the tomatoes before making the sauce.

Tutor's tip: He boiled water to "blanch" the almonds then saw her "blench" (flinch) when the water spilled.

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To become pale.

For a list of words related to blanched, see:

• Sickly, out of shape, dull, or weak

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See words rhyming with "blanch."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Blanch.

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - blege, afblege, affarve
v. intr. - blegne, blive bleg

Nederlands (Dutch)
besterven, verschieten, bleken, bleek worden, blancheren, uitkoken (zilver)

Français (French)
v. tr. - (gén, Agric, Culin) blanchir
v. intr. - blêmir

Deutsch (German)
v. - blaß werden, blanchieren, abbrühen, bleichen, erbleichen lassen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - ξασπρίζω, λευκαίνω, χλομιάζω, ωχριώ, (μαγειρ.) ζεματίζω για ξεφλούδισμα

Italiano (Italian)
impallidire, bianchire

Português (Portuguese)
v. - pelar (amêndoas), empalidecer, alvejar

Русский (Russian)
побледнеть, бланшировать

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - palidecer, escaldar, blanquear
v. intr. - escaldarse, blanquearse, hacer un blanqueo

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - göra vit, vitna, blekna

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
漂白, 使变白, 变白, 变苍白

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 漂白, 使變白, 變白
v. intr. - 變白, 變蒼白

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - ~을 희게 하다, 데치다
v. intr. - 희어지다, 창백해지다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 白くする, 湯につけてむく, 青ざめる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) بيض, قصر, امتقع لونه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮שלק, הלבין, טבל ירקות ברותחים, הלבין צמחים ע"י מניעת אור, קילף שקדים ע"י הרתחה‬
v. intr. - ‮החוויר‬

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